Dedicated to the Business of Contemporary Live Music
WITH THE festival season fast approaching and the population quarantined for the foreseeable future, organisers of some of the country’s biggest summer events have been forced to follow Glastonbury (cap. 147,000) in canceling their events. Among the latest are Download (85,000), Isle of Wight Festival (70,000) and London’s All Points…
Read moreTICKET TOUTS who resold hundreds of fraudulently obtained concert tickets at inflated prices have been jailed for a total of six-and-a-half years, marking the first successful prosecution against a resale business. Peter Hunter was sentenced to four years in prison, and David Smith to 30 months, after jurors at Leeds…
Read moreOAK VIEW Group (OVG), the US company behind the plan for a second arena in Manchester, is close to submitting a planning application to the city council. The company is hoping to build a 23,500-capacity arena in the Eithad Campus, the site of Manchester City football club’s Eithad Stadium (cap….
Read moreREGIONAL PROMOTERS One Inch Badge and Rockfeedback are joining forces to launch new venture FORM, backed by Kilimanjaro Live. The two companies will operate as FORM Presents outside their local markets of Brighton (One Inch Badge) and London (Rockfeedback), where they will retain their established brand names. The combined entity…
Read moreFOLLOWING THE Government’s announcement of a business rates reduction for high street retailers, which includes small and mid-sized venues across the UK from spring (see LIVE UK issue 241), more information has come to light on the criteria applicants must meet in order to be eligible. HM Treasury stated that…
Read moreVODAFONE HAS partnered with The Scottish Event Campus (SEC), owners and operator of The SSE Hydro (cap. 14,300) arena in Glasgow, to sponsor a new “super suite” at the venue for the telecoms giant’s customers and guests during events. The company’s VeryMe customer loyalty app will also offer Vodafone users…
Read moreCONTROVERSIAL RESALE website Viagogo has completed its £3.9 billion ($4.05bn) acquisition of StubHub from eBay, announced in December. However, the Initial Enforcement Order (IEC) issued by the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA) still prevents the companies from integrating the websites while it continues its preliminary investigation (see LIVE UK issue…
Read moreLONDON’S ROUNDHOUSE (cap. 3,100) has appointed Lucy Wood as the new head of music, who will join the venue from Festival Republic, where she led the music programme for Latitude Festival (cap. 35,000). Wood’s experience in the industry spans 15 years and includes roles at 19 Entertainment, Warp Records, and…
Read moreOWNERS OF Coventry’s The Empire (cap. 900) are moving the business to a former ABC Cinema in the city centre in July. The new venue will be able to accommodate audiences of up to 1,400, with a range of configurations available to promoters. The venue’s live music promoter Dave Brayley…
Read morePLANS FOR Bristol’s new 17,080-capacity YTL Arena have been given the green light by Bristol City Council and is expected to open in 2023. In November last year, Malaysian developer YTL submitted a planning application to build the arena at Brabazon Hangars on Filton Airfield. “There is a huge amount…
Read moreRECORD INDUSTRY body the BPI reports that its Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS), an initiative which supports companies that boost artistes in overseas markets, has generated £36 million in export revenue for the British economy. The MEGS Impact Report for 2019 reveals that, based on the first 16 rounds of…
Read moreTHE DOORMAN of Thekla (cap. 400), the DHP Family-owned venue located in a boat moored in Bristol’s Floating Harbour, has been presented with a award for bravery, after rescuing a woman from the water. The incident happened in November 2018 when a woman leapt into the water during a row…
Read moreDJ AND broadcaster Annie Mac has unveiled the programme for her second annual conference and new music festival, AMP (Annie Mac Presents) London. The conference, which follows four days of artiste showcases in venues across the capital, will take place at Camden House on 6 March and comprise panel discussions,…
Read moreTHE COMPETITION and Markets Authority (CMA) has ordered controversial resale website Viagogo and eBay-owned StubHub to halt their merger while it continues its preliminary inquiry. Protests to the CMA after Viagogo’s £3.9 billion ($4.05bn) takeover of StubHub was announced in December, prompted it to investigate the impact of such an…
Read moreTHE GOVERNMENT has revealed plans for a new music strategy to support the UK’s “brilliant creators”. A debate focusing on the economic and social importance of music took place in the House of Commons earlier this month, in which Culture Minister Nigel Adams addressed post-Brexit touring, the Copyright Directive and…
Read moreTHE GOVERNMENT has announced that small and mid-sized venues across the UK should benefit from a cut in business rates from the spring, as part of a broad package of measures to help small pubs, restaurants and high street retailers. It says premises in England and Wales with a rateable…
Read moreCROYDON COUNCIL has denied claims that the refurbishment of the Fairfield Halls complex could end up costing the taxpayer £60 million. According to the website Inside Croydon, during a council meeting earlier this month, Labour council leader Tony Newman refused to deny the £60m figure when confronted by Conservative opposition…
Read moreMILTON KEYNES council has rejected the latest planning application threatening the future of The Stables (cap. 438), a live music venue founded by world-renowned jazz musicians Sir John Dankworth and Dame Cleo Laine 50 years ago. Developers Abbey Homes applied for a Certificate of Lawful Development that would have allowed…
Read moreONE OF the country’s oldest and best-known venues, The 100 Club (cap. 350) in London, has become the first music venue to be given special status, thanks to a new scheme launched by Westminster City Council. The Oxford Street venue, which has hosted live music since 1942, has been granted…
Read moreTHE WAREHOUSE in Leeds has reopened following redevelopment and a £250,000 investment in production infrastructure. The venue, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, now boasts three rooms with a capacity of 600 for live music events and 1,100 for DJ-led events, a new sound system, lighting fixtures, a video wall…
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